Autonomous robots that perform household functions such as floor cleaning and lawn mowing are now readily available consumer products. As found in the industry and elsewhere, few attempts have been made to build snow clearing robots. Each of these robots has faced a similar challenge that is yet unresolved: how to remove snow with minimal effort and efficiently cover the designated area given limited energy reserves. When dealing with a snow covered area, existing snow clearing is not achieved autonomously and only removes snow after the snowfall has terminated. Examples of existing snow removal systems include snow plows, snow blowers, and snow melting. When all aspects of the snow clearing system are operating properly, these systems perform their respective tasks with a human operator.
Thus, a need exists for an autonomous robot that can clear snow autonomously, as snow falls, and safely.